Intervención sobre la comunicación del entrenador para aumentar la confianza de los deportistas

Abstract

A professional experience in a women’s field hockey team of the Spanish top division, in crisis due to its bad results, is reported. The aim of intervention was to focus players’ motivation on the task, to increase their confidence, and to improve coping skills in competition. As the main procedure, we worked indirectly through the coach applying the communication model “The chain of consciousness” (Vives, 2011), intended to enhance the conscious learning of athletes to positively influence the motivational orientation and confidence. The psychological effects derived from the intervention could not be assessed, but the successful sports results validated at the applied level the goals and the methodology specifically devised for this case. Future studies should address the applicability of the model and experimentally test the relationship between the communicative indications proposed for coaches and the effects on the motivational orientation and confidence of the athletes.